1. Technical Field
This invention relates to plant watering apparatuses and, more particularly, to a water ease for Christmas trees.
2. Prior Art
The problem of keeping Christmas trees fresh while in a stand in an interior environment has long been known. Most stands are designed to hold a very limited supply of water with a consequence that refills are frequently necessary. Since most natural trees used for indoor purposes have relatively sharp needles, pouring water into the base of the stand is decidedly awkward and tends to become a chore that is easily neglected given its location at the bottom and center of the tree. Given the rapid absorption of water by most trees in the dry environment of a heated interior space, this inconvenience is significant. The end result is that the tree dries out and begins to shed its needles, creating a fire hazard.
Another problem with many stands is that they are unstable when in use so that the tree is easily upset with consequent damage to the tree and possible spillage of the water from the stand itself. This is particularly true with taller, heavier trees because most stands are manufactured to fit the most common size Christmas trees and cannot support tall trees adequately.
Heretofore, attempts have been made to maintain Christmas trees by providing separate water reservoirs connected to the base by a length of tubing. For example, the design shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,469,342 discloses a reservoir disposed at floor level. This design creates an obstacle to foot traffic and still requires bending over to check and fill the reservoir.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,009 also discloses a Santa Claus shaped reservoir watering system that can be placed on a table or other elevated surface to eliminate the foot traffic obstacle and bending noted above. U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,009 also discloses a float assembly disposed in the basin of the stand of the Christmas tree for maintaining the water level at a selected level. While this method appears to solve the problem of conveniently maintaining the level of water in the basin, it is well known in the industry that such floats are invariably susceptible to penetration and/or absorption of fluids, rendering them ineffective and in need of being replaced. In addition, the reservoir is shaped and decorated to resemble a Santa Claus, making it difficult to ascertain the water level within the reservoir. The end result is a reservoir that will likely empty before a user realizes it needs to be refilled.
There has also heretofore been offered for sale a tree hung ornament adapted to receive water and direct the same to the base via a float controlled valve. The disadvantage to that approach is the limitation on the quantity of water able to be held in the ornament, since only a relatively light weight is able to be borne by the branches of the tree. Thus, frequent attention to filling with water is required. The tree mounted location also raises the possibility that the reservoir will fall, spilling water to create an electrical shock hazard, and also involves a two handed procedure.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tree watering apparatus adapted to conveniently allow maintenance of a water supply in the tree base without frequent attention to this chore. It is another object to provide such a device which is convenient to install and reliable in operation, with a minimum possibility of flooding or accidental spillage and breakage.
Accordingly, a need remains for an easy to maintain, easy to install, Christmas tree watering system that minimizes safety hazards such as foot obstacles and water spillage.